Spare Times for Dec. 14-20

Alice Austen House Museum: Haunted House Exhibiton (Tuesday through Sunday) On view through Dec. 30 is “Haunted Houses,” a display of photographs and texts documenting ghost stories at sites around the country. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 2 Hylan Boulevard, near Edgewater Street, Shore Acres, Staten Island, (718) 816-4507, aliceausten.org; $3 donation is suggested donation.

Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum: Holiday Music and Candlelight Tours (Saturday) Holiday festivities continue with candlelight tours from 6 to 8 p.m. The celebration features carolers, as well as a display of eight storybook Christmas trees decorated by artists and designers, and inspired by tales including “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.” (Tickets are $12, $8 for students and 65+ and reservations are advised.) Trees will be on display through Jan. 6. The museum is open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., 895 Shore Road, the Bronx, (718) 885-1461, bpmm.org; $5, $3 for members and 65+, free for students and children under 6.

Museum of Jewish Heritage: Jewish Rituals on Christmas Day (Wednesday) How do American Jews spend Dec. 25? This is the subject of a discussion at 7 p.m. with Joshua Eli Plaut, a historian and author of “A Kosher Christmas: ‘Tis the Season to be Jewish,” released in October by Rutgers University Press. 36 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, (646) 437-4200, mjhnyc.org; $10, $7 for students and 65+, $5 for members.

Museum of Jewish Heritage: ‘Through Soviet Jewish Eyes: Photography, War, and the Holocaust’ (through April 7) This exhibition of more than 50 rare images, which chronicled the daily hardships that Soviet Jews endured during World War II, is based on David Shneer’s book of the same title. Mr. Shneer is also the co-curator, with Lisa Tamiris Becker, of this exhibition. 36 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org; $12, $10 for 65+, $7 for students; free for members and children 12 and younger. Museum hours are Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

New York Society Library: ‘Edith Wharton’s New York City: A Backward Glance’ (through Dec. 31) This exhibition, a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the writer’s birth (her actual birth date is Jan. 24), includes family photographs, books and ledgers documenting the book-borrowing habits of her father, George Frederic Jones. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. 53 East 79th Street, Manhattan, (212) 288-6900, nysoclib.org; free.

New York Transit Museum: ‘Meet Miss Subways’ and ‘ElectriCity: Powering New York’s Rails’ (continuing) Two exhibitions are now on display. “Meet Miss Subways,” which takes a look at the beauty contest and the lives of former Miss Subways, and “ElectriCity: Powering New York’s Rails,” a historical display of items from the museum collection, including switches and circuit breakers, that illustrates how electricity powers the subway system. Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights, (718) 694-1600, mta.info/mta/museum; $7, $5 for those ages 2 to 17 and 62+, free for members and for 62+ on Wednesdays.

Paley Center for Media: ‘Rolling Stones: 50’ (through Jan. 6) This video and photography display chronicles the group’s career over the last 50 years. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m., to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, 25 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 621-6800, paleycenter.org; $10, $8 for students and 65+, $5 for children under 14 and free for members.

‘Rooms of Wonder: From Wunderkammer to Museum, 1599-1899’ (through Feb. 2) Wunderkammer — cabinets of curiosities — were late Renaissance European collections of geological specimens, dried plants, mummified animals and other objects; they are also considered the root of modern museums. Illustrated catalogs created to document these collections and celebrate their owners will be on display at the Grolier Club. The items were drawn from several collections including those from Harvard’s Houghton Library and the Getty Research Institute Library in Los Angeles. Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, Manhattan, (212) 838-6690, grolierclub.org; free.

Gardens

New York Botanical Garden: Holiday Train Show and ‘Bar Car Nights’ (Saturday) The annual holiday show, featuring model trains rushing past scaled New York City landmarks, will run through Jan. 13. For the next two Saturdays, something special will be offered to visitors 21 and older as they watch the display — an evening of music and cocktails from 7 to 9 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by the Mistletones, an a cappella group. Bronx River Parkway, Exit 7W, and Fordham Road, the Bronx, (718) 817-8700, nybg.org. Bar car admission, $30, $20 for members, which includes one cocktail. Garden visiting hours, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Timed tickets are $20 on weekdays ($18 for students and 65+ and $10 for children 2 to 12) and $25 on weekends ($22 for students and those 65+ and $15 for children 2 to 12).

Winter Solstice Celebration at the Queen’s Botanical Garden (Sunday) Celebrate Winter Solstice with a full day of events, hot chocolate, cookies and children’s crafts. Attractions include a garden tour and bird walk (11 a.m.), a brass concert — with holiday tunes — performed by musicians from Queens College (12:30 p.m.), storytelling with an emphasis on Mother Nature (2 p.m.), and a performance by Queens College classical singers (3 p.m.). And get in some holiday shopping: vendors will be selling goodies like handmade soaps and pottery. From 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 43-50 Main Street, at Dahlia Avenue, Flushing, (718) 886-3800, queensbotanical.org; free.

Events

‘Audubon’s 113th Annual Christmas Bird Count’ (Saturday and Sunday) There may not be many calling birds, French hens and turtle doves at this annual bird count in Prospect Park, but the varieties noted will be added to national records kept by the Audubon Society. The counts, organized by the Brooklyn Bird Club, will take place on Saturday at noon and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. The meeting place is the Prospect Park Audubon Center, reachable from the entrance at Lincoln Road and Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn. (718) 287-3400, prospectpark.org/audubon; free.

Brooklyn Crafts Shows (Saturday and Sunday) Two annual crafts shows are taking place in Brooklyn this weekend. One will run Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Avenue, at President Street, Park Slope; brooklynlyceum.com. And a holiday market, sponsored by Brooklyn Craft Central, is planned for the next two weekends, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Littlefield Art Space, 622 Degraw Street, Park Slope, bkcraftcentral.com.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at Bldg 92: ‘Reflections on Rosie’ (Friday through Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday) The stories of women who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II and the female artists who now work in studios in the Center are contained in this exhibition. The display, also sponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society, includes oral histories and multimedia presentations, and will be on view through May. Open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m., Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92, 63 Flushing Avenue, at Carlton Avenue, (718) 907-5992, bldg92.org; free.

City University of New York Graduate Center: ‘Revisiting the Rosenberg Trial’ (Monday) The espionage trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in the early 1950s and the role her brother David Greenglass played for the prosecution are the subjects of this free reading and discussion presented by the Martin E. Segal Center. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reading from “The Brother,” a play by John Hancock and Dorothy Tristan that was adapted from the 2001 nonfiction book “The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case,” by Sam Roberts, a reporter for The New York Times. First staged in 2007, the play will return to the stage under the direction of Ian Strasfogel. A discussion with the playwrights, Mr. Roberts and scholars will follow. Seating, which is limited, is first come first served. 365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th Street, Manhattan, (212) 817-1861, thesegalcenter.org.

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Harlem Art Exhibition (through Wednesday) An exhibition highlighting the cultural and business lives of Harlem, the photography display “Harlem & the City: Over 100 Years of Special Moments” will be on view at City College through Wednesday when the campus is open. 138th Street and Convent Avenue, ccny.cuny.edu; free.

‘Jingle Bell Rockaway’ (Sunday) A fund-raiser with music, beverages from New Jersey and New York brewers, and food will benefit Hurricane Sandy relief programs administered by friendsofrockaway.org, one of the sponsors of the event. From noon to 5 p.m., Belle Harbor Yacht Club, 533 Beach 126th Street, Belle Harbor, Queens; $29, or $39 for admission and round-trip bus transportation from Manhattan; free for children under 5. (Volunteers are also needed for cleanup programs in the area.)

Korean Manuscript Display (through Dec. 30) The ancient art of Sagyeong, in which sacred Buddhist texts are transcribed in gold- and silver-painted manuscripts, is on display in “Samadhi + Art = Sagyeong” at Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Boulevard, at Linden Place, Flushing, Queens. More than 50 examples of the art are included in the exhibition. Gallery hours, Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., (718) 463-7700, Ext. 222, flushingtownhall.org/events; $5 suggested for admission; free for members and students.

Trolley Tour of Bronx Music History (Saturday) Former homes of noted jazz performers like Thelonious Monk and Maxine Sullivan as well as the performance spaces where many of them appeared will be seen during this free tour of the social and cultural history of the borough, beginning at 3 p.m. from the organization presenting it, the Bronx Music Heritage Center, 1303 Louis Nine Boulevard, near Freeman Street, in the Fairmont-Claremont Village section of the Bronx; boarding begins at 2:30 p.m. A reading and discussion at the Center, presented by City Lore, will follow the tour. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (718) 839-1134 or e-mailing info@bronxmusic.org.

‘Unsilent Night’ (Saturday) This annual musical procession from the Washington Arch to Tompkins Square Park features marchers carrying boom boxes or other devices with musical downloads of a piece written in 1992 — the first year of the procession — by the composer Phil Kline. Meeting time is at 6:45 p.m. at the Arch, regardless of the weather. Participants should bring their own boom boxes, but a limited number will be available for borrowing. Further information about the event, including downloading details, can be found at the unsilentnight.com. Similar processions will be going on simultaneously across the country, with others planned in the United States and Europe later in the month.

Andy Warhol Dance Drawings (through Dec. 28) A friendship in the 1950s and ’60s with Lydia Joel, then editor in chief of Dance magazine — as well as his interest in all performing arts — was said to have inspired the artist to create pen-and-ink drawings, which he gave to the dance editor over 12 years. A collection of 49 of these works, which are in a private collection, are on view through Dec. 28 at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, near Irving Place. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., (212) 475-3424, nationalartsclub.org; free.

‘What the Dickens? Third Annual ‘A Christmas Carol’ Marathon’ (Saturday) This annual event will begin at noon with caroling by members of the New York City Master Chorale; the reading begins at 1 p.m. Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, near Houston Street, SoHo, (212) 334-3324, housingworksbookstore.org; free.

Spoken Word

92nd Street Y: ‘Inside New York Real Estate with Stephen M. Ross and William L. Mack’ (Monday) The two real estate executives and philanthropists will talk about their careers, their visions of urban development and their involvement in world issues. Diane Brady, a senior editor and content chief for Bloomberg Businessweek, is the host. At 8:15 p.m., 1395 Lexington Avenue, (212) 415-5500, 92y.org; $29 and $36.

‘The Landmarks of Tomorrow: Lincoln Center and the High Line’ (Monday) The architect Elizabeth Diller and the writer Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel discuss these two prominent Manhattan sites. The free talk is sponsored by the Historic Districts Council. At 6:30 p.m., First Church of Christ Scientist, Central Park West and 68th Street; hdc.org.

Walking Tours

‘Hanukkah Borough Park Walking Tour’ (Sunday) This walk, sponsored by Timeline Touring, focuses on Old World traditions of the holiday as they are celebrated in this Brooklyn neighborhood. At 10:30 a.m., near the intersection of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 44th Street (more details are given with reservations), (718) 375-1102, timelinetouring.com; $29, $22 for children 14 and younger.

In Depth Walking Tours: ‘How New Yorkers Invented Christmas’ (Saturday and Sunday) This Lower Manhattan tour examines the stories and traditions of the holiday, circa mid-1800s, meeting at 11 a.m. on the northeast corner of Broadway and Wall Street. (917) 607-9019, indepthwalkingtours.com; $20, or $15 for 65+.

Terry’s New York Tours: Gramercy Park and Union Square (Saturday) The development and growth of these Manhattan neighborhoods will be covered in this tour, meeting at 1 p.m. on the north side of East 14th Street, between Broadway and Fourth Avenue South. (917) 515-1380, terrysnewyorktours.com; $20, $15 for students and 62+.

‘Union Square: Crossroads of New York’ (Saturday) A tour focusing on the area’s political history meets at 2 p.m. by the statue of Lincoln in Union Square Park, near the 16th Street transverse. Sponsored by the Union Square Partnership. (212) 517-1826, unionsquarenyc.org; free.

‘Victorian Christmas: Origins of Christmas Traditions’ (Saturday and Sunday) NYC Discovery Tours leads this literary holiday walk, which stops at sites associated with O. Henry (“The Gift of the Magi”), Clement Clarke Moore (“A Visit From St. Nicholas”) and Washington Irving’s character of St. Nicholas in his “Knickerbocker’s History of New York.” Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.; $20. Reservations and meeting place: (212) 465-3331. ANNE MANCUSO AND MEGHAN GOURLEY

An entry in the Spare Times listings in some editions on Friday, about an annual bird count organized by the Brooklyn Bird Club, misspelled, at one point, the surname of a noted ornithologist and artist for whom the event is named. He was John James Audubon, not Audobon.

Information on events for possible inclusion in Spare Times can be sent to weekend@nytimes.com. Longer versions of Around Town and For Children listings are in a searchable guide at nytimes.com/events.